Eye contact enabling device for video conferencing

ABSTRACT

A device and system can physically position a camera lens between the eyes of the image of the person onscreen in a video conference. To position the lens, a mechanical device may position or move the camera lens. The mechanical device can include a movable armature that can move a small camera head (i.e., a lens with or without supporting electronics) from a first position of the computer monitor (e.g., the frame of the monitor) to a second position onscreen. The second position can place the lens near or over the image of the other party, for example, between the eyes of the onscreen image of the other party.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of and claims priority toU.S. application Ser. No. 16/455,054, filed on Jun. 27, 2019, which is acontinuation application of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser.No. 15/278,321 filed on Sep. 28, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,368,032,issued Jul. 30, 2019, which is a continuation application of and claimspriority to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/707,766, filed on May 8, 2015,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,495,414, issued on Nov. 1, 2016, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/015,174, filed onJun. 20, 2014. The entire disclosures of each of the above applicationsare incorporated herein by reference for all that they teach and for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Traditional webcams for face-to-face video conferencing, on a computer,are customarily placed above, below, or occasionally to the sides of theparticipant's computer monitor. As a result of the placement of thewebcam, the video image of the participant as seen by the other partydoes not appear to be looking directly at the other party. This offsetis due to the participant looking at the on-screen image of the otherparty, which is typically located some distance from the webcam. Forexample, when the webcam is placed above the participant's monitor, theother party sees the participant looking down.

Video conferencing participants can avoid this problem by lookingdirectly at the camera, but this is very unnatural, as the normalconversational impulse is to look at the face of the person to whom oneis speaking. Therefore, the usual situation in video conferencing isthat the participants see each other but do not look into each other'seyes—they do not make eye contact. This lack of eye contact actuallymakes videoconferencing less effective. Thus, there is a need to conductvideoconferences where the users can establish eye contact and stillview the other party.

SUMMARY

The solution to the above and other problems is to align the camera lensor adjust the focal point of a person with the eyes of the image of theother party presented on the computer monitor. In this way, when lookingat the onscreen image, the user can make eye contact and the other partysees the participant as looking directly out of the screen at them. Ifboth parties are using such a device, eye contact is established. Ifonly one party is using the device, that party will look “normal” to theother party and appear to be making eye contact, while he is looking atthe face, but not directly into the eyes, of the non-device usingparticipant. Thus, users of the device will look more natural tonon-users of the device.

The eye contact-enabling device(s) can use many techniques to cause thecamera lens to be, or appear to be, onscreen where the other party'seyes are located. The techniques can include, but are not limited to,the processes and devices described hereinafter. For example, a cameralens can be physically positioned between the eyes of the image of theperson onscreen. A mechanical device may position the camera lens. Themechanical device can include a movable armature that can move a smallcamera head (i.e., a lens with or without supporting electronics) from afirst position of the computer monitor (e.g., the frame of the monitor)to a second position onscreen. The second position can place the lensnear or over the image of the other party, for example, between the eyesof the onscreen image of the other party.

In the case where the arm can only move the lens to a predetermined andfixed position onscreen, facial recognition software can automaticallyposition the onscreen image under or near the lens of the camera. Inother situations, the armature may be able to sweep through an arc thatcovers the entire screen from side-to-side or top-to-bottom. Further,the armature may be extendable or telescope to move the lens to anyposition over the monitor. The armature can be made of transparentplastic to minimize its obtrusiveness to the onscreen image. The overalleffect would be a small dot between the eyes of the other party, whichwould become quickly unnoticeable, like glasses worn by the other party.An example mechanical device can include a movable arm with a lens andlight pipe; the electronics could be embedded in the monitor frame.

With a moveable-arm device, the system software and/or the videoconferencing application software can determine the current position ofthe camera. The determination can be accomplished with limit switches ateach end of the rotation arc or with other sensors. When one or theother of the switches is engaged, this means that the camera is ineither the ‘normal’ or ‘eye contact’ position. The software can rotatethe image from the lens to keep the image upright as seen by the otherparty. When neither limit switch is engaged, the camera can be “intransition” between the two positions, and the video stream can befrozen at the last captured frame. In this way, the other party will notsee a “tilting” image while the device is adjusting the position of thecamera.

The “USB Device Class Definition for Video Devices” defines a ‘Roll’control that may be used to communicate the video information to thesystem, in the cases where a USB interface is used. A more advanceddevice might use a tilt sensor embedded in the camera head (rather thansimply limit switches) to communicate the exact rotational position tothe system software. This sensor information can allow for continuousadjustment of the transmitted image to keep it in the uprightorientation.

Similar in concept to the integrated moveable-arm camera, there couldalso be a stand-alone, “monitor-top” version, like a standard webcam,but with a movable arm containing the lens that could be swung down infront of the monitor.

Another variation of the device can include an armature that could varythe length of the armature using a combination of gears, motors,solenoids, etc., and a motorized rotation axis, such that the cameracould be moved to a wide variety of positions on the screen. Facialrecognition software could be used to determine the best position forthe camera based on where the user is looking. This variable-positioncamera would be especially helpful for video conferences with a numberof participants in one location, where the camera could be positionedonto the face of the person currently speaking.

A further variation on this concept, especially useful for largedisplays such as used in video conferencing meeting rooms, can includemounting the mechanical housing for the variable-length arm on ahorizontal track above (or below) the display, allowing for rapidmovement of the camera to any point of the display. For devices wherethe camera position can be controlled by the system software, the “USBDevice Class Definition for Video Devices” can be extended to allow foradditional control outputs and sensor inputs.

Another means of achieving eye contact would be software-corrected“virtual lenses,” where two or more cameras may be placed or embeddedinto the perimeter (e.g., left and right sides) of the monitor frame.The cameras can capture multiple instances of the participant's image,and real-time software can combine the multiple perspectives into asingle, forward-looking image. The virtual lens software can includespecialized facial-recognition algorithms to locate the eyes and toappropriately combine the lateral perspectives of the pupils and whitesto create a natural look.

Still another example apparatus for achieving eye contact can be anembedded camera lens in the monitor or display screen. The embeddedcamera can be placed within the field of LED or pixels forming thescreen. The embedded camera can capture an image by alternately (a)making the pixels in front of the lens transparent (or blanking them),so the camera could capture the image of the participant, and (b) makingthe pixels non-transparent (or illuminating them), so the pixels coulddisplay the image of the other party. The alternation between blankingand illuminating the pixels can be at a high enough frequency, e.g.,above 120 changes per second, to be invisible to the eye. Alternatively,a minute ‘hole’ of non-illuminated pixels may be formed when theembedded camera is in use.

A variation of the embedded camera apparatus can include several imagesensors placed behind a portion or the entire display surface. Theportion of the display having image sensors could then be alternatelyblanked or illuminated. This alternative could allow the ‘active’portion of the camera to be taken from any position on the display, orat least the portion with the image sensors. Facial recognition softwarecan then determine the correct position of the image or which imagesensors to use for the image. A similar result can also be achieved by adual-axis positioning system to move the camera head behind the displayglass to any position, and then the system can blank the appropriatepixels to allow the camera to capture the image.

In some situations, after manually rotating a moveable-arm camera intoposition, the user could be required to manually position the videoconferencing window such that the camera is placed between the eyes ofthe remote user. In other situations, the user could be asked to movethe armature with the camera over the image on the screen. However, toachieve the best user experience, a variety of software enhancements canensure the correct positioning of the camera relative to the onscreenimage.

In the discussions that follow, the term “local user” means the personwho is using an eye contact-enabling device, and the term “remote user”means the person (or persons) with whom the local user is talking to viavideo conferencing. The remote user may, or may not, also be using aneye contact-enabling device. Generally, the ideal positioning of thecamera lens (i.e. “between the eyes”) may be achieved by: a) moving theonscreen image (by moving the position of the video window, or theposition of the image within the window); b) by moving the camera, incases where camera movement is software controlled; or, c) by anoptimized combination of window movement and camera movement.

Furthermore, some degree of rate-dependent hysteresis should be appliedto these adjustments, to avoid unnecessary movements when suchadjustments would be transitory in nature. For example, if someonebriefly turns their head, or glances elsewhere, the system should notimmediately make adjustments, but instead wait until it is clear thatthe change will persist. This delay would likely be on the order of afew seconds, and the delay itself may be dynamically computed to adjustfor cases where changes are relatively continuous. For example, someonewalking while looking into their camera phone might cause a constantly‘bobbing’ image—the software could detect this and avoid makingadjustments constantly (allowing the image to bob). The user could alsohave some input to this, perhaps in the form of an adjustable “stabilitycontrol”, which they could adjust to their own comfort level andaccording to the nature and quality of the video stream being received.For example, using the case of a ‘bobbing’ image, a stability controlsetting of zero might allow the image to bob exactly as the image isreceived, while a setting of 100% may completely eliminate the bobbing.

When the system determines that eye contact alignment movements arerequired, they should be done with a smooth transition that brings thecamera and image into the required alignment at a smooth rate ratherthan a rapid or instantaneous jump. In the case where a motorized cameramust be moved, such a transition may involve a period of acceleration,followed by a period of smooth movement, followed by deceleration to thefinal location. Where the onscreen image is moved, a similar movementprofile could be followed. Some experimentation may be required todetermine the most natural-feeling transitions.

In some cases (and where the hardware allows it) a combination ofphysical camera movement combined with image movement may achieve thebest results. This situation would be especially true in the case whereboth the local and remote user are using eye contact-enabling devices,and the devices are in communication with each other.

Facial detection software can be used to identify the location of aperson's face (or several faces) in an image. This type of software is acommon feature of many digital cameras, for example, where it is used toassist focusing and framing of a shot. For the purposes of enabling eyecontact, facial detection can be used in two ways. First, facialdetection can be used to find the location of the remote user's face toallow the software, which has knowledge of the location of the localcamera lens relative to the display, to correctly position the onscreenimage of the remote user such that the camera lens is between the remoteuser's eyes. Second, facial detection can be used to detect and examinethe remote and local user's faces, for pupil and gaze detection.

Once the position of a face, and the eyes within the face, have beendetected, software can be used to examine a person's pupils, and fromthat examination detect the direction of the person's gaze. If the gazeis “direct”, it means the person is looking at the camera. If theperson's gaze is “offset”, it means the person is not looking at thecamera. In the case of a remote user's gaze being consistently indirect,this situation is a good indication that the remote user is not using aneye contact-enabling device. In the case where a user (local or remote)is using an eye contact-enabling device, an indirect gaze may indicatethat the person is looking at someone else in the onscreen image thanthe user who is currently engaged for eye contact. The software can usethis information to re-position the camera to a different locationrelative to the screen, to re-establish eye contact.

For dual-camera devices, information about the distance to the user'sface can be used to better analyze and compose the images, and to assistwith pupil and gaze detection. Techniques, such as sonar ranging, may beused to supply this information to the software. This technique would,of course, require that a sonar emitter/detector device be placed,ideally in the plane of the display, or at some known offset from it. Inthe case of a dual-camera system, image analysis may provide a computeddistance.

In the case where there are multiple users in a single location, and allof them can be seen onscreen, it may be desirable to identify thecurrent speaker, for the purposes of determining the correct eye contactlocation for that speaker. Speaker identification may be done in avariety of ways. One mechanism would be manual—the user could simplyclick on the image of the current speaker to establish eye contact.Speaker identification can also be done with image analysis. Forexample, detecting mouth movement may be sufficient to establish thecurrent speaker. Another technique for speaker identification could bethe use of audio information. This technique would work best in adedicated video conferencing setup, where multiple microphones could beplaced within the room, and analysis of the relative delay of soundsarriving at each microphone could be used to compute the location of thespeaker within the room. This information, combined with knowledge ofthe placement of the camera(s) and display(s) could be used to determinethe eye contact location for the speaker. The identification of a userwith local devices (such as microphones) may include the transmission ofthe local device information to the remote location, for correct eyecontact alignment via image or camera movement.

The local device information may be formatted or arranged according to astandard or new protocol, referred to generally as the “Eye ContactProtocol.” When both sides of the video conference are using eyecontact-enabling devices, or are at least using software that is eyecontact-aware, messaging between the two locations via an Eye ContactProtocol can enable the optimum user experience. The Eye ContactProtocol could be transmitted via a separate data connection or embeddedin the video or audio stream. The Eye Contact Protocol can transmitinformation such as: the currently speaking user; the type, number, andlocation of cameras, displays, microphones, speakers; commands tore-position moveable devices; etc. The specification of the Eye ContactProtocol may be done through a standards organization to ensureinteroperability across multiple manufacturer's devices.

Aspects of the embodiments include a method for conducting a videoconference comprising: a computing system receiving an image of adistant user involved in the video conference; a processor of thecomputing system determining a position on the image associated with afocal point of a local user involved in the video conference; aprocessor determining where the position is located on a display of thecomputing system; adjusting an acquisition of a second image of thelocal user to cause the local user to appear to focus on the focal pointwhile conducting the video conference; and sending a representation ofthe second image to the distant user.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein the image of thedistant user is of the distant user's face including eyes of the distantuser.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein the position is alocation between the eyes in the face of the distant user.

Aspects of the above method further comprise further comprising theprocessor executing a facial recognition module to determine thelocation.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein the location issubstantially midway between the pupils of the eyes of the distant user.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein adjusting theacquisition of the second image comprises locating an image capturedevice in physical proximity to the focal point.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein locating the imagecapture device in physical proximity to the focal point comprises one oflocating and moving the image of the distant user over the image capturedevice.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein the image capturedevice is embedded in the display of the computing system.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein locating the imagecapture device in physical proximity to the focal point comprises movingan armature coupled to the image capture device to position the imagecapture device over the focal point.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein moving the armaturecomprises: rotating a hub at a first end of the armature to swing thearmature through an arc over the display device; and extending atelescoping member of the armature.

Aspects of the above method further comprise wherein adjusting anacquisition of a second image of the local user comprises: obtaining athird image from a first lens of the image capture device and a fourthimage from a second lens of the image capture device; and generating acomposite image from the third and fourth images such that the compositeimage appears to focus on the focal point.

Aspects of the embodiments also include a computing system configured toconduct a video conference, the computing system comprising: a networkconnection configured to: receive a first image of a distant userinvolved in the video conference, send a representation of a secondimage, of a local user, to the distant user; a display configured todisplay the first image; an image capture device configured to: capturethe second image; a processor configured to: determine a position on thefirst image associated with a focal point of the local user involved inthe video conference, determine where the position is located on thedisplay, and adjust an acquisition of the second image of the local userto cause the local user to appear to focus on the focal point whileconducting the video conference.

Aspects of the above computing system further comprise wherein the imageof the distant user is of the distant user's face including eyes of thedistant user, wherein the position is a location between the eyes in theface of the distant user, wherein the location is substantially midwaybetween pupils of the eyes of the distant user, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute a facial recognition module to determinethe location.

Aspects of the above computing system further comprise wherein the imagecapture device is embedded in the display of the computing system, andthe processor is configured to: locate the image capture device inphysical proximity to the focal point by one of locating and moving thefirst image of the distant user over the image capture device.

Aspects of the above computing system further comprise wherein the imagecapture device comprises an armature configured to locate a lens of theimage capture device in physical proximity to the focal point.

Aspects of the above computing system further comprise wherein thearmature comprises: a hub coupled to a first end of the armature, thehub configured to swing the armature through an arc over the displaydevice; and a telescoping member coupled to the hub, the telescopingmember configured to extend a second end of the armature over adistance, wherein the lens is coupled to the second end of the armature.

Aspects of the above computing system further comprise wherein adjustingan acquisition of a second image of the local user comprises: obtaininga third image from a first lens of the image capture device and a fourthimage from a second lens of the image capture device; and generating acomposite image from the third and fourth images such that the compositeimage appears to focus on the focal point.

Aspects of the embodiments also include a non-transitory computerreadable medium stored with instructions stored thereon that cause acomputing system configured to execute a method for conducting a videoconference, the method comprising: receiving an image of a distant userinvolved in the video conference; determining a position on the imageassociated with a focal point of a local user involved in the videoconference; determining where the position is located on a display ofthe computing system; adjusting an acquisition of a second image of thelocal user to cause the local user to appear to focus on the focal pointwhile conducting the video conference.

Aspects of the above computer readable medium further comprise whereinthe image of the distant user is of the distant user's face includingeyes of the distant user, wherein the position is a location between theeyes in the face of the distant user, wherein the location issubstantially midway between the pupils of the eyes of the distant user,wherein adjusting the acquisition of the second image comprises locatingan image capture device in physical proximity to the focal point.

Aspects of the above computer readable medium further comprise whereinthe image of the distant user is of the distant user's face includingeyes of the distant user, wherein the position is a location between theeyes in the face of the distant user, wherein the location issubstantially midway between the pupils of the eyes of the distant user,wherein adjusting an acquisition of a second image of the local usercomprises: obtaining a third image from a first lens of the imagecapture device and a fourth image from a second lens of the imagecapture device; and generating a composite image from the third andfourth images such that the composite image appears to focus on thefocal point.

The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages depending onthe particular aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. The advantagesinclude providing a natural human interaction on a video conference,where eye contact can be created or simulated. Thus, better non-verbalcommunication can enhance the video conference and make the medium moreeffective for communication ideas. These and other advantages will beapparent from the disclosure.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received beforeperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material.”

The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Adigital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained informationarchive or set of archives is considered a distribution mediumequivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readablemedia is configured as a database, it is to be understood that thedatabase may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution mediumand prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations of the present disclosure are stored.

The term “media” or “multimedia,” as used herein, refers to content thatmay assume one of a combination of different content forms. Multimediacan include one or more of, but is not limited to, text, audio, stillimages, animation, video, or interactivity content forms.

The terms “determine,” “calculate” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

The term “display” refers to a portion of one or more screens used todisplay the output of a computer to a user. A display may be asingle-screen display or a multi-screen display, referred to as acomposite display. A display can encompass the touch sensitive displayof one or more screens. A single physical screen can include multipledisplays that are managed as separate logical displays. Thus, differentcontent can be displayed on the separate displays although part of thesame physical screen. Displays can include displays or screens ondesktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, mobile devices,smartphones, etc.

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, orcombination of hardware and software that is capable of performing thefunctionality associated with that element.

The term “camera” or “image capture device,” as used herein can refer toan optical instrument, device, software, hardware, etc. that can recordstill or moving images and can store, transmit, manage, etc. thoseimages. The camera can include one or more of an aperture, a lens,camera media, an image sensor, a processor, memory, etc. that enable thecapture of the image.

The term “aperture” as used herein can refer to any hole or an openingthrough which light travels and that may allow the capture of images bya camera.

The term “lens” as used herein can refer to any optical lens or assemblyof lenses used in conjunction with a camera to make images on a mediacapable of storing an image chemically or electronically.

The term “camera media” or “media” as used herein can refer to any filmor electronic sensor capable of recording an image provided through alens and/or an aperture.

The term “image sensor” as used herein can refer to the electronicsensor capable of recording an image provided through a lens and/or anaperture.

The term “video conference” as used herein can refer to any interactionbetween two or more people over a computer and/or communication networkthat involves the exchange of video data, and possibly audio data, ofthe participants.

The term “local user” as used herein can refer to the person(s) viewingthe image of the distant user(s) on a device, which sends image data ofthe local user(s) to the distant user(s).

The term “distant user” as used herein can refer to the person(s)viewing the image of the local user(s) on another device, which sendsimage data of the distant user(s) to the local user(s). The device ofthe distant user may be remotely located from the device of the localuser. Further, the device of the distant user and local user maycommunicate over a computer and/or communication network.

The term “focal point” as used herein can refer to the location on thedistant user's image where the local user focuses or appears to focus.Generally, the focal point is a location substantially midway betweenpupils of the eyes of the distant user. Wherein, the lens of the cameracan be located in physical proximity to the focal point to create “eyecontact.” Locating the lens can be accomplished by moving the lensonto/over the distant user's image or moving the distant user's imageover the lens.

It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall begiven its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C.,Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term“means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein,and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materialsor acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described inthe summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings,detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A includes a first view of an embodiment of an adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 1B includes a second view of an embodiment of the adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 1C includes a third view of an embodiment of the adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 2 includes a view of another embodiment of the adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 3 includes a view of another embodiment of the adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 4 includes a view of another embodiment of the adjustable cameralens;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the adjustable camera lenssoftware and/or firmware;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for adjusting acamera lens;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of another embodiment of a method for adjustinga camera lens;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of another embodiment of a method for adjustinga camera lens;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an embodiment of a computing environment; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an embodiment of a computing system.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Presented herein are embodiments of an eye contact enabling device. Thedevice can be included with or added to a computing system. The eyecontact enabling device can include one or more cameras, or lenses, thatare configured to adjust the outgoing image of a person on a videoconference such that the person appears to be making eye contact withthe party receiving the image. Further, the device can receive andadjust a received image of a person participating in the videoconference to facilitate eye contact with the user of eye contactenabling device. The overall design and functionality of the eye contactenabling device provides for an enhanced user experience making thevideo conference more interactive, more natural, easier to use, and moreeffective.

An embodiment of an adjustable video camera system 100 for a computersystem 102 is as shown in FIGS. 1A through 10. The adjustable videocamera system 100 can include a lens 104 connected to a hub 108 by anarm or armature 112. The camera lens 104 can be any type of lens usedfor live capture video and that can communicate with a video processorand/or video driver of the computer system 102. These types of videocameras can include or may be similar to, for example, the LOGITECH® HDWebcam C310, the MICROSOFT LifeCam HD-3000 Webcam, etc. The computersystem 102 can include any computer, laptop, tablet, mobile device,etc., such as those examples and/or embodiments explained in conjunctionwith FIGS. 9 and 10.

The hub 108 may be a type of physical connection that may pivot on apivot point located within the frame 116 of the monitor 120 or on amount, as shown in FIG. 2. The monitor 120 may have a display surface124 where images for icons, desktops, windows, and/or other content maybe shown or displayed. The hub 108 can pivot within some range ofmotion. That range of motion may include a 180° degree arc from point A128 to point B 132 (shown in FIG. 1B). The bounds of the arc—whether180° or some more acute angle—may be denoted and controlled by limitswitches. As such, if a limit switch is triggered with the armature atpoint A, a hardware interrupt may be send to the computer processorand/or hub to stop rotation. A similar trigger may occur at anotherpoint over the display area 124, such as when the armature is at theposition shown in FIG. 1B, which may be the simplest implementation. Thetwo points A 128 and B 132 may be along a plane 136 that protrudes fromand is parallel with the top section of the frame 116 of the monitor120. By pivoting the hub 108, the arm 112 swings the camera 104 throughthe display area 124. As such, the hub 108, by pivoting about the pivotpoint, can position the lens 104 within some part of the display area124 and can hold or position the lens 104 over a displayed imagedisplayed in the display area 124. For example, the image 140 of aperson in a video conference may be presented in the display area 124.The hub 108 may pivot to swing the lens 104 on top of the image 140, asshown in FIG. 10. The lens 104 may be positioned at some point over theimage 140 such that, as the user watches or views the image 140, thelens 104 is positioned within the line of sight of the viewer of theimage 140.

The arm 112 may be rigid and provide a fixed distance between the hub108 and the lens 104. In other situations, the arm 112 may beextendable, by having a telescoping member coupled to the hub, such thatthe lens 104 may be positioned within any region of the display surface124. For example, the arm 112 may be telescopic and can extend alongsome range of motion from a first point to a second point. For example,arm position 144 shows the boom arm extended along a direction anddistance where the extension is longer than that shown in position 148.Thus, the lens 104, when extended to position 144, may reach an area ofthe display surface 124 that would not be reached by the arm 122 shownin configuration 148.

Another embodiment of the adjustable camera lens device 100 is shown inFIG. 2. In this example, the hub 108 is positioned on a gantry or othertype of mount 204. This mount 204 may be attached to or placed upon thedisplay 120. The mount 204 can be attached to the frame 116 if requiredor may simply sit or be held on top of the frame 116. The arm 112 mayextend further than that shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B as the hub is in aposition higher above the display 120. The arm 112 may be rotated alonghub 108 to any position within the display surface 124 as explained inconjunction with FIGS. 1A-1C. The configuration of the arm 112, hub 108,and lens 104 may be different based on the situation, mounting type,mounting location, etc. and the requirement to extend the camera lens104 over the display surface 124.

In some situations, the rotation of the lens 104 and arm 112 around thehub 108 may be manual and may be conducted by a user. In othersituations, a servo motor or some other electromechanical device mayautomatically rotate the hub 108 and/or extend the arm 112 by a signalsent from a driver executed by a processor of the computer system 102.The servo motor may be further controlled by one or more signals thatare sent by limit switches to the processor to begin or stop the motionof the camera device 100 or detect the position of the lens 104.

The lens 104 may be optically connected to and/or electrically connectedto and/or in communication with the video processing function of thecomputer system 100. For example, the lens 104 may optically connectwith the computer system 100 through the hub 108 by a light pipe thatextends through the arm 112 into the bracket 204 or frame 116 of thecomputer 102. The light pipe can carry an image or visual data,associated with a captured image, to an image-sensing device that cantransform the light signals into electrical signals. In otherconfigurations, electrical signals may be sent by wire or wirelesslyfrom an image sensor, in physical proximity with the lens, to the cameraprocessor and/or to the computer system 102.

Another system for acquiring an image for video conferencing is shown isFIG. 3. Here there may be one or more cameras 104 a, 104 b, 104 c and/or104 d. The system 100 may include at least two camera lenses 104 a-104 dsituated at some distance apart. For example, the system 100 shown inFIG. 3 may provide camera lenses 104 a and 104 b to take two imagessimultaneously of the person participating in the video conference. Inother configurations, the two camera lenses may be 104 c and 104 d thatare aligned horizontally rather than vertically. However, anyarrangement of two or more lens 104 may be used to capture two imagessubstantially simultaneously (e.g., within milliseconds ormicroseconds). Any arrangement of the one or more camera lenses 104 athrough 104 d may be provided to acquire two simultaneous and completeimages of the person conducting or participating in the conference andviewing the image 140 on the display area 124. The two images may thenbe adjusted to create a composite image through video processing suchthat the center or focus of the person appears to be facing or lookingat a “virtual lens” 304 that is “positioned” over the image 140. Thevirtual lens 304 is logical representation. The virtual lens 304 is thefocal point of the composite image created by mixing portions of the twoor more acquired images that changes the image of the person looking atthe screen 120 such that the person appears to be looking at or focusedon the image 140.

The modification is done by taking and adjusting the at least twosimultaneously acquired images to create a composite image. It may alsobe possible to combine the two or more images into a three dimensionalimage. As the pairs of lens provide a type of “stereoscopic” view of theperson, it is possible to use the two images to create a threedimensional image that may be provided to the distant user. The threedimensional image could provide even better interaction during the videoconference.

Another embodiment of the camera system 100 is shown in FIG. 4. Here, anembedded camera lens 404 may be placed or built into the display 120 atsome point within the actual display area 124. The embedded camera lens404 may include a portion of display pixels (which may include orencompass the hardware, e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), used toilluminate the pixels) or display surface that is open and a camera lensinserted therein, or may be behind the plane of the display pixels,which are synchronously blanked to allow both capturing images anddisplaying pixels. In other configurations, the opening may include onlya small fiber optic piece that can provide an image to a lens or videocapture device that is behind the display layer of the display area 124.The embedded camera lens 404 may be placed anywhere within the displaysurface 124 but is shown in the center of the display surface 124 forpurposes of illustration. The location of the embedded camera lens 404may be known to the computer system 100 and thus allow the computersystem 100 to adjust the image 140 location or format to place the image140 over the embedded camera lens 404.

An embodiment of the software, firmware, and/or hardware 500 forconducting the processes described herein may be as shown in FIG. 5. Thesystem 500 can include one or more modules, which may be hardware,software, and/or a combination of hardware and software. The system 500may be executed by a processor, an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or otherspecially designed hardware. The system 500 may be executed by one ormore processors within the computer system 100 and/or some of thefunctions may be executed by a separate computer system that isconnected through a network or other connection to the local computersystem 100. The modules included within the system 500 may include oneor more of, but are not limited to, a user interface module 504, a userinterface correction module 508, a user interface interaction module512, an alignment module 516, a speaker identifier module 520, a gazedetection module 524, a distance detection module 528, a protocol module532, a facial recognition module 540, a facial correction module 554, animage analysis module 548, a communications module 552, and/or a cameraadjustment module 536. Each of these modules will be described in moredetail hereinafter.

The user interface module 504 may be any module or object that cancreate, construct, or render a user interface 124 that may be displayedon the screen 120. Thus the user interface module 504 is operable torender the display images of the one or more windows, including the faceor image received from the distant user in a video conference. Thus, theuser interface module 504 can provide the image 140 as shown in FIGS. 1Athrough 4.

The user interface correction module 508 may be operable to change thelocation, format, or other parameters of the image 140 provided to thedisplay area 124. The user correction module 508 may move the imageautomatically to center the image 140 over a lens 104 during a videoconference. The changing of the display by the user correction module508 becomes important for the embedded lens 404 in cases where theembedded lens 404 cannot move to adjust the location of the imagecapture. As such, the user correction module 508 can move the image 140such that the image 140 locates the lens 404 between the eyes of theperson in the image 140. Then, the image captured of the user viewingthe image 140 appears to be looking at the person in the image 140.

The user interaction module 512 may provide information or receive inputfrom the user when conducting a video conference or other actionrequiring video capture from the lens 104, 404. The user interactionmodule 512 can provide messages to the user to move the arm 112 orrotate the hub 108 to place the lens 104 onto or in front of the image140 shown on the display surface 124. Further, the user interactionmodule 512 may also receive input from the user to move the image 140 toa different spot in the display 124 and thus require automatic or manualmovement of the lens 104 to center the lens 104 on the image 140. Theinteractions between the user and the user interaction module 512 may beconducted through windows shown on another part of the display 120,through a separate display, or through some other interaction.

The alignment module 516 may determine how to align the image 140 tocenter that image over the lens 404, 104. The alignment module 516 mayreceive information from the image analysis module 548 to determine abest spot for the lens 404, 140. The ideal placement of the lens 404,104 within the image 140 may then be analyzed for a physical location bythe alignment module 516 and then the alignment module 516 can determinehow to move the lens 104 onto the physical location. In othersituations, the alignment module 516 can move the image 140 such thatthe center or focal point of a person's gaze is upon the lens 104, asthe image 140 is placed over the location of the embedded lens 404, orat the location of lens 104. As such, the alignment module 516 can movethe image or the lens 104, 404 to ensure that the gaze of the user, asprovided by the gaze detection module 524, is upon the lens 104, 404.

A speaker identifier module 520 can identify which speaker within a roomof multiple speakers is currently talking. For example, the speakeridentifier module 520 can locate the source of any audio provided withina room. As such, the user who is currently communicating with thedistant person, represented by image 140, may be analyzed correctly toensure that their gaze is upon the lens 104, 404. The speaker identifiermodule 420 can provide the speaker information to one or more of theother modules to change or correct the analysis of the other modules incentering the image 140 or the lens 404, 104 onto the gaze of thecurrent speaker.

The gaze detection module 524 can analyze one or more items of an imagebeing captured by the lens 104, 404. In particular, the gaze detectionmodule 524 can analyze the orientation of the eyes of a user todetermine where the user is looking. As such, the gaze detection module524 can analyze the pupil locations to determine upon which spot theuser is currently gazing and then may provide this information as avirtual location to the alignment module 516. This virtual location maythen be used by the alignment module 516 to move the lens 104 or theimage 140 to focus the gaze onto the image 140.

The distance detection module 528 may use one or more sources ofinformation from sensors or from the lens or lenses 104, 404 todetermine how far away the speaker is from the screen 116. The distancedetection module 528 can use, for example, the focus setting of the lens104, 404 to determine the distance away the user is from the screen 116.In other configurations, the distance detection module 528 may use atype of triangulation between the two or more lenses 104 a through 104 dto determine the distance the user is from the screen 116. This distancemay then be provided to the gaze detection 524 or other modules tobetter analyze or determine upon where the speaker or user is focusingtheir eyesight.

A protocol module 532 may be any module that conducts a video conferenceunder a certain protocol. This protocol module 532 can provide rules orchange communication settings for the video conference and provide thatinformation to any of the other modules, including the communicationmodule 552.

The facial recognition module 540 may be any module that can identifythe face of a user speaking into the screen 120 and being captured bythe lens 104, 404. The facial recognition module 540 allows for the lens104, 404 to better focus onto the appropriate speaker and to provideinformation to one or more of the other modules for identifying the gazeor the focal point of the user's attention. The facial recognitionsoftware may be, for example, FaceSDK sold by Luxand or other types ofsoftware.

The facial correction module 544 may be any software that can adjust theimage being sent to the distant user. For example, the facial correctionmodule 544 may take two or more simultaneous images from cameras 104 athrough 104 d and make a composite image that appears to be looking atthe user represented by the image 140 shown on screen 120 in FIG. 3. Assuch the facial correction module 544 can adjust the actual output ofthe computer processor to the distant user through the communicationmodule 552. The adjustments can reorient the video or images to providea composite image that may be sent to the distant user.

The image analysis module 548 can analyze any image 140 received by theprocessor such that that image 140 may then be adjusted or moved to amore appropriate location to conduct the video conference. For example,the image analysis module 548 may determine a central point within theimage 140 upon which to center that image 140 over the lens 404, asshown as FIG. 4. In other configurations, the image analysis module 548can locate a dark area or a set of pixels that have a color that willobscure where the lens 404 is located. As the lens 104, 404 may appearas a small pinhole in the display area 124, the image analysis module548 may analyze the image such that pixels that will obscure thatpinhole can be placed over the pinhole and thus appear to hide where theembedded lens 404 is located.

The image analysis module 548 may also determine the best pixels withinan area having spatial proximity to the central focal point of the image140. The determination of the best pixels may be conducted such that arange around the center of the image or focal point of the image 140 maybe analyzed for appropriate pixels and then the image moved to the bestpixels within that range. The pixels at that location may be blanked onthe display or may be rapidly turned on and off, allowing an image to becaptured when the pixels are turned off. For example, a person in animage may be wearing glasses with dark colored frames. However, the lenslocation may be slightly above the location of the frames of the glassesin the image. If the image is moved slightly, such that the lens orfocal point is within the location of the frame of the glasses in theimage, the lens may be less noticeable.

The communication module 552 can be any module that communicates thevideo or receives video during the video conference. The videoconferencing information may then be provided to the other modules foranalysis. Further, the communication module 552 can also receive videoinformation from one of the other modules and then send the informationto the distant user that is participating in the video conference.

The camera adjust module 536 can receive information from the othermodules and then mechanically move the camera lens 104, by rotating hub108 or by extending the arm 112. Thus, the camera adjust module 536 cancontrol the positioning of the lens 104 onto the display surface 124.The positioning commands may include simply providing a desired lenslocation, in which case the hub 108 and arm 112 may automatically adjustto place the lens 104 upon that location. In other configurations, thecamera adjust module 536 can provide an amount (e.g., in degrees) ofrotation for the hub 108 and/or an amount (e.g., in millimeters, inches,etc.) of extension for the arm 112.

An embodiment of a method 600 for positioning the lens of the camera 104onto the display surface 124 is shown in FIG. 6. While a general orderfor the steps of the method 600 is shown in FIG. 6, generally, themethod 600 starts with a start operation 604 and ends with an endoperation 624. The method 600 can include more or fewer steps or canarrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 6.The method 600 can be executed as a set of computer-executableinstructions, executed by a computer system, and encoded or stored on acomputer readable medium. Further, the method 600 can be executed by agate or other hardware device or component in an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit, a Field Programmable Gate Array, or other type ofhardware device. Hereinafter, the method 600 shall be explained withreference to the systems, components, modules, software, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. described herein.

The computer system 102 can receive input that indicates a videoconference is about to or has started. For example, a user may enter acommand through a user interface device, e.g., a mouse or keyboard, tostart a video conference. In other situations, the computer system 102may receive a signal, through a communications interface, over anetwork, and from another computer system, indicating a video conferenceis beginning. The indication or signal indicating a video conference isstarting can cause the computer system 102 to configure the system 100to conduct a video conference. Upon starting the video conference, thecommunications interface 552 can receive the image or video of thedistant user, in step 608, to start the video conference.

The communications interface 552 can send the video for the videoconference to the user interface module 504 and the camera adjust module536. The user interface module 504 can provide an indication to thecamera adjust module to indicate the position of the video or image, ofthe distant user, upon the screen 124. This information may indicate agrid location or coordinates for the face 140, or a specific part of theface 140, on the screen 124. The camera adjust module 536 may then,based upon the information sent from the user interface module 504,determine where the camera lens 104 needs to be positioned. Upondetermining the location, the camera adjust module 536 may send one ormore commands to move automatically the camera lens 104 by extending thearm 112 or rotating the hub 108 to position the camera head upon theproper coordinates. Additionally or alternatively, the camera adjustmodule 536 may send, to the user, a user interface, includinginstructions for the user, to have the user manually adjust the camera.In this case, the camera adjust module 536 may provide a visual indiciaon the screen 124 where the camera lens needs to be put. The user thenmay manually extend the arm 112 or rotate the hub 108 to place thecamera lens 104 upon the position indicated. In other situations, thecamera lens 104 may be fixed into or onto the screen. And, the image 140of the distant user may be moved or positioned over or under the fixedlens 104 at the point at which the camera is located. In otheradditional or alternative embodiments, the coordinates or location maybe realized by an x position on a horizontal rail and a y position on avertical rail. A camera lens 104 mounted upon the rails could bepositioned over the screen based on the x position and the y position.

The camera may be positioned manually or automatically by the cameraadjust module 536, in step 612. The camera adjust module 536 may thenprovide coordinates for a location of the lens 140 positioned over thescreen 124. This lens location information may then be provided to thealignment module 516. The lens location information, provided by thecamera adjust module 536, may be derived from a series of sensors, suchas stop limit sensors or other types of sensors that can indicate thelocation of the lens. The alignment module 516 may receive the sensorinformation, in step 616. Based upon the information, the alignmentmodule 516 may determine the location of the lens 104 over the screen124, in step 620. This lens location may be a coordinate within thescreen 124 of the determined location of the sensor or lens 104. Thelens location information may then be provided to a user correctionmodule 508 to move the image 140 onto a spot such that the lens ispositioned between the eyes of the image 140 in the screen 124.

An embodiment of a method 700 for providing an image of a user in avideo conference is shown in FIG. 7. While a general order for the stepsof the method 700 is shown in FIG. 7, generally, the method 700 startswith a start operation 704 and ends with an end operation 728. Themethod 700 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order ofthe steps differently than those shown in FIG. 7. The method 700 can beexecuted as a set of computer-executable instructions, executed by acomputer system, and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Further, the method 700 can be executed by a gate or other hardwaredevice or component in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, aField Programmable Gate Array, or other type of hardware device.Hereinafter, the method 700 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described herein.

The system 500 can receive the video image 140 for the video conferenceat the image analysis module 548. The image analysis module 548 candetermine the limits of the face 140 or use facial recognition todetermine a center position between the eyes that would elicit eyecontact or appear to elicit eye contact with the image. Thus the imageanalysis 548 and the facial recognition 540 modules can recognize theface 140 of the image being provided to the system 500, in step 708.This facial recognition and image analysis module 548 can then analyzethe facial parameters, in step 712, to determine a center point for theeye contact position. Image analysis module 548 can determine where theeyes of the user are and then determine a point or location between thetwo eyes of the image that could be a focus point for eye contact.

Once the eye contact position is determined, the eye contact position isprovided to the camera adjust module 536 or to the user interfacecorrection module 548. The eye contact position is then determined to bethe position where the camera or focus should be for the videoconference, in step 716. To make sure that the eye contact position isthe place where the user is looking, the user interface correctionmodule 548 may adjust the acquisition of the image of the local user. Inone implementation, the camera adjust module 536 moves the camera boomarm 148 to the position, such that the lens 104 is over the eye contactposition, in step 720. Thus, the camera adjust module 526 may triggerthe motor in the hub 108 to move the camera lens 104 into that position.In additional or alternative embodiments, the camera adjust module 536may provide information to the user interaction module 512 to have theuser manually move the boom arm 148 to align the lens 104. In othersituations, the user interface correction module 508 may move thedistant user's image 140, such that the image's position 304 is over orin physical proximity to the eye contact position. For example, as shownin FIG. 3, the position 304 may indicate the eye contact position. Thiseye contact position is moved centrally between the two lenses 104 a and104 b. In another example, the image 140 is moved over the embeddedcamera, such that the eye contact position is at position 404, as shownin FIG. 4.

Thus the user interaction module 512 can change the location of theimage 140 and provide that image 140 in the appropriate spot over theeye contact location, in step 724. The user interface 504 provides theimage and may adjust that image at times depending on if the image 140changes or moves from its position in a frame and thus allows the systemto maintain the eye contact position over the lens 104 and/or thevirtual lens position 304.

An embodiment of a method 800 to move the image to a less intrusive areawithin the screen 124 is shown in FIG. 8. While a general order for thesteps of the method 800 is shown in FIG. 8, generally, the method 800starts with a start operation 804 and ends with an end operation 828.The method 800 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the orderof the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 8. The method 800 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions, executed by acomputer system, and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Further, the method 800 can be executed by a gate or other hardwaredevice or component in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, aField Programmable Gate Array, or other type of hardware device.Hereinafter, the method 800 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described herein.

The system 500 can receive an image, in step 808. The received image maybe the image 140 of a user's face during a video conference. This imagemay be sent from the communication module 552 to the image analysismodule 548 and the facial recognition module 540.

The image analysis module 548 and the facial recognition module 540 canthen analyze the image, in step 812. Here, modules 540, 548 analyze theposition of the face and the eyes within the face as shown in FIG. 1.The analysis of the image can determine an eye contact position for theimage provided, thus the facial recognition and image analysis modules540, 548 can determine the center point between the eyes, in step 816.This position is determined to be eye contact position and should be thefocus for where the lens 104 is placed.

The image analysis module 548 may then determine the least obtrusiveplace to locate the image of the user. This least obtrusive imagelocation can be a position that does not overlay other important data onthe screen 124. Thus, the image analysis 548 can determine that theleast obtrusive image location can be one of the four corners of thedisplay 124 or at some place that's not over an active window.

The image may be then be moved to the least obtrusive image location bythe user interface correction module 508. Upon moving the image the userinterface correction module 508 can provide data back to the imageanalysis module 548 to re-determine the eye contact position. Uponre-determining the eye contact position 548, the image analysis module548 can provide that information to the camera adjust module 536, instep 824. The camera adjust module 536 may then move the boom arm 112 tolocate the lens 104 over the eye contact position in the new area. Forexample, the camera adjust module 536 can move the camera to a newposition and extend the arm, as shown in FIG. 1 at location 144. The newlocation may be a less obtrusive area to conduct the video conferenceand allow the user to use the other portion of the user interface 124 toconduct other interactions or activities or to provide information forthe video conference.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a system 900 that may connectparties in a video conference. The system 900 includes one or more usercomputers 905, 910, and 915. The user computers 905, 910, and 915 may begeneral purpose personal computers (including, merely by way of example,personal computers and/or laptop computers running various versions ofMicrosoft Corp.'s Windows™ and/or Apple Corp.'s Macintosh™ operatingsystems) and/or workstation computers running any of a variety ofcommercially-available UNIX™ or UNIX-like operating systems. These usercomputers 905, 910, 915 may also have any of a variety of applications,including for example, database client and/or server applications, andweb browser applications. Alternatively, the user computers 905, 910,and 915 may be any other electronic device, such as a thin-clientcomputer, Internet-enabled mobile telephone, and/or personal digitalassistant, capable of communicating via a network (e.g., the network 920described below) and/or displaying and navigating web pages or othertypes of electronic documents. Although the exemplary system 900 isshown with three user computers, any number of user computers may besupported.

System 900 further includes a network 920. The network 920 may can beany type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that cansupport data communications using any of a variety ofcommercially-available protocols, including without limitation TCP/IP,SNA, IPX, AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network920 maybe a local area network (“LAN”), such as an Ethernet network, aToken-Ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtualnetwork, including without limitation a virtual private network (“VPN”);the Internet; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephonenetwork (“PSTN”); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., anetwork operating under any of the IEEE 802.11 suite of protocols, theBluetooth™ protocol known in the art, and/or any other wirelessprotocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks.

The system may also include one or more server computers 925, 930. Oneserver may be a web server 925, which may be used to process requestsfor web pages or other electronic documents from user computers 905,910, and 920. The web server can be running an operating systemincluding any of those discussed above, as well as anycommercially-available server operating systems. The web server 925 canalso run a variety of server applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, and the like. Insome instances, the web server 925 may publish available operations asone or more web services.

The system 900 may also include one or more file and or/applicationservers 930, which can, in addition to an operating system, include oneor more applications accessible by a client running on one or more ofthe user computers 905, 910, 915. The server(s) 930 may be one or moregeneral purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts inresponse to the user computers 905, 910 and 915. As one example, theserver may execute one or more web applications. The web application maybe implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in anyprogramming language, such as Java™, C, C#™ or C++, and/or any scriptinglanguage, such as Perl, Python, or TCL, as well as combinations of anyprogramming/scripting languages. The application server(s) 930 may alsoinclude database servers, including without limitation thosecommercially available from Oracle, Microsoft, Sybase™, IBM™ and thelike, which can process requests from database clients running on a usercomputer 905.

In some embodiments, an application server 930 may create web pagesdynamically for displaying. The web pages created by the web applicationserver 930 may be forwarded to a user computer 905 via a web server 925.Similarly, the web server 925 may be able to receive web page requests,web services invocations, and/or input data from a user computer 905 andcan forward the web page requests and/or input data to the webapplication server 930.

In further embodiments, the server 930 may function as a file server.Although for ease of description, FIG. 9 illustrates a separate webserver 925 and file/application server 930, those skilled in the artwill recognize that the functions described with respect to servers 925,930 may be performed by a single server and/or a plurality ofspecialized servers, depending on implementation-specific needs andparameters.

The system 900 may also include a database 935. The database 935 mayreside in a variety of locations. By way of example, database 935 mayreside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) one or more ofthe computers 905, 910, 915, 925, 930. Alternatively, it may be remotefrom any or all of the computers 905, 910, 915, 925, 930, and incommunication (e.g., via the network 920) with one or more of these. Ina particular set of embodiments, the database 935 may reside in astorage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled in the art.Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributedto the computers 905, 910, 915, 925, 930 may be stored locally on therespective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. In one set ofembodiments, the database 935 may be a relational database, such asOracle 10i™, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve data inresponse to SQL-formatted commands.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a computer or computing system 1000upon which a video conference may be conducted or executed. The computersystem 1000 is shown comprising hardware elements that may beelectrically coupled via a bus 1055. The hardware elements may includeone or more central processing units (CPUs) 1005; one or more inputdevices 1010 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.); and one or more outputdevices 1015 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). The computersystem 1000 may also include one or more storage device(s) 1020. By wayof example, storage device(s) 1020 may be disk drives, optical storagedevices, solid-state storage device such as a random access memory(“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable,flash-updateable and/or the like.

The computer system 1000 may additionally include a computer-readablestorage media reader 1025; a communications system 1030 (e.g., a modem,a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device,etc.); and working memory 1040, which may include RAM and ROM devices asdescribed above. In some embodiments, the computer system 1000 may alsoinclude a processing acceleration unit 1035, which can include a DSP, aspecial-purpose processor and/or the like

The computer-readable storage media reader 1025 can further be connectedto a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, incombination with storage device(s) 1020) comprehensively representingremote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storagemedia for temporarily and/or more permanently containingcomputer-readable information. The communications system 1030 may permitdata to be exchanged with the network 1020 and/or any other computerdescribed above with respect to the system 1000.

The computer system 1000 may also comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within a working memory 1040, including anoperating system 1045 and/or other code 1050, such as program codeimplementing a web service connector or components of a web serviceconnector. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of acomputer system 1000 may have numerous variations from that describedabove. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/orparticular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

A further embodiment of the systems, devices, and methods above may beapplied to image capture with a mobile device. When capturing a close-upphotograph or a “selfie,” i.e., a photograph that one has taken ofoneself, typically a photograph taken with a smartphone or webcam, aperson typically does not look at the lens but at the screen. This habitcauses the similar problems with eye contact as those described above.As such, the changes to the physical or virtual position of the one ormore lenses can be made as described above, but with a mobile device.The changes would adjust the captured image to create eye contact withthe picture's subject.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been describedin relation to computing systems and image capture devices. However, toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the precedingdescription omits a number of known structures and devices. Thisomission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of theclaims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding ofthe present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that thepresent disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond thespecific detail set forth herein.

Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations illustrated herein show the various components of thesystem collocated, certain components of the system can be locatedremotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LANand/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should beappreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to oneor more devices, or collocated on a particular node of a distributednetwork, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, apacket-switch network, or a circuit-switched network. It will beappreciated from the preceding description, and for reasons ofcomputational efficiency, that the components of the system can bearranged at any location within a distributed network of componentswithout affecting the operation of the system. For example, the variouscomponents can be located in a switch such as a PBX and media server,gateway, in one or more communications devices, at one or more users'premises, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functionalportions of the system could be distributed between a telecommunicationsdevice(s) and an associated computing device.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connectingthe elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof,or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable ofsupplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements.These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may becapable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media usedas links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electricalsignals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and maytake the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated inrelation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciatedthat changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occurwithout materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments,configuration, and aspects.

In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, aprogrammed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integratedcircuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digitalsignal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such asdiscrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array suchas PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means,or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementingthe methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the variousaspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for thedisclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers,handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital,analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Someof these devices include one or more processors, which may have a singlecore or multiple cores, memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, andoutput devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementationsincluding, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readilyimplemented in conjunction with software using object or object-orientedsoftware development environments that provide portable source code thatcan be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially orfully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whethersoftware or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance withthis disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirementsof the system, the particular function, and the particular software orhardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems beingutilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partiallyimplemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executedon programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of acontroller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, orthe like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented as a program embedded on a personal computer such asan applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server orcomputer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurementsystem, system component, or the like. The system can also beimplemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into asoftware and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations, subcombinations, and/orsubsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to makeand use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations afterunderstanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in variousaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devicesand processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or describedherein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof,including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previousdevices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving easeand/or reducing cost of implementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the Detailed Description has included description ofone or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certainvariations and modifications, other variations, combinations, andmodifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may bewithin the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understandingthe present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which includealternative aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extentpermitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalentstructures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or notsuch alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a user device,a first image of a distant user involved in a video conference;determining, by a processor of the user device, a position on the firstimage associated with a focal point of a local user, of the user device,involved in the video conference; determining where the focal point islocated on a display of the user device; adjusting an acquisition of asecond image of the local user to cause the local user to appear tofocus on the focal point while conducting the video conference, whereinadjusting the acquisition of the second image comprises: obtaining athird image from a first lens of an image capture device associated withthe user device, wherein the first lens is embedded in the display ofthe user device; obtaining a fourth image from a second lens of the userdevice; generating a composite of the third and fourth images to formthe second image; and sending a representation of the second image tothe distant user.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the firstimage of the distant user is of a face of the distant user, includingeyes of the distant user.
 3. The method according to claim 2, whereinthe focal point is a location between the eyes in the face of thedistant user.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first lensand the second lens of the image capture device are embedded in thedisplay of the user device.
 5. A video conference system comprising: acomputer receiving an image of a distant user involved in a videoconference; a display device to display the image; a hub provided at atop of the display device; an image capture device; an armature having afirst end and a second end, the armature coupled to the hub at the firstend, the image capture device coupled to the armature at the second end,the armature having a length that extends the image capture device infront of the display device; a processor of the computer configured to:determine a first position on the image associated with a focal point ofa local user involved in the video conference; determine a secondposition of the image capture device in front of the display device;place the image on the display device to place the focal point inphysical proximity to the image capture device to acquire a second imageof the local user to cause the local user to appear to focus on thefocal point while conducting the video conference; and send arepresentation of the second image to the distant user.
 6. The device ofclaim 5, wherein the image of the distant user is of the distant user'sface including eyes of the distant user.
 7. The device of claim 5,wherein the first position is a location between the eyes in the face ofthe distant user.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the first locationis substantially midway between the pupils of the eyes of the distantuser.
 9. The device of claim 5, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: move the armature, coupled to the image capture device,to position the image capture device over the display device.
 10. Thedevice of claim 9, wherein moving the armature comprises: rotating thehub to swing the armature through an arc over the display device. 11.The device of claim 5, further comprising: a mount placed at the top ofthe display device, the hub coupled to the mount.
 12. The device ofclaim 5, wherein at least a portion of the armature is transparent. 13.A method for conducting a video conference comprising: receiving animage of a distant user involved in the video conference; providing theimage on a display device of a computing system; placing at least aportion of an armature over the display device, wherein the armaturecomprises a first end and a second end and an image capture device iscoupled to the armature at the second end, and wherein the image capturedevice is placed over the display device; determining a first positionon the image associated with a focal point of a local user involved inthe video conference; determining a second position of the image capturedevice in front of the display device; placing the image on the displaydevice to place the focal point in physical proximity to the imagecapture device to acquire a second image of the local user to cause thelocal user to appear to focus on the focal point while conducting thevideo conference; and sending a representation of the second image tothe distant user.
 14. The device of claim 5, wherein the image of thedistant user is of the distant user's face including eyes of the distantuser.
 15. The device of claim 5, wherein the first position is alocation between the eyes in the face of the distant user.
 16. Thedevice of claim 15, wherein the first location is substantially midwaybetween the pupils of the eyes of the distant user.
 17. The device ofclaim 5, further comprising: moving the armature coupled to the imagecapture device to position the image capture device over the displaydevice.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the second end of thearmature is coupled to a hub, and wherein moving the armature comprises:rotating the hub to swing the armature through an arc over the displaydevice.
 19. The device of claim 5, further comprising: placing a mountat the top of the display device, wherein the hub is coupled to themount.
 20. The device of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of thearmature is transparent.